The Quarterfinals of the Global Poker x PokerNews Cup begin at 5:30 p.m. PT tonight. All players who will be in the field will be just three steps away from becoming a PokerNews Cup champion.

Everyone who makes it through the round will then proceed to Semifinals at 2 p.m. on Saturday, and those who again advance will be admitted into Sunday's Finals at 2 p.m.

Tonight's Quarterfinal round is, in most ways, just like any regular no-limit hold'em poker tournament. But there are a few things worth taking into consideration as you prepare to play that are specific for this event.

You Don't Have to Win the Tournament

Contrary to most poker tournaments, the goal tonight isn't to win the whole thing. Finishing in first place doesn't even matter. Your focus should be on surviving and advancing.

The top 90 finishers will advance to the Semifinals. So, it doesn't matter if you're down to one big blind or have 200 big blinds when the field reaches the final 90 players, you're in!

Pay Attention to Number of Players Remaining

Many tournament grinders will tell you it's pointless to constantly monitor how many players are left in the field unless you're approaching the bubble or final table. They'll tell you it's best to avoid focusing on that and instead focus on your game. In regular tournaments, that's sound advice.

But in the Quarterfinals, you aren't playing to win the tournament. You're playing to move on so that you can keep your hopes of winning the Global Poker x PokerNews Cup alive. As the field dwindles down and you're nearing 150 or so players, be mindful of your chip stack and avoid taking too many risks if you're under 30 big blinds.

Big Stacks Will Have an Advantage

Another sound piece of advice for standard tournaments is to not be so concerned with building a massive stack early on. Tournaments are long and, in most cases, you're trying to win the war, not a battle.

In the Quarterfinals, however, the players who are able to accumulate a huge stack early on will have a huge advantage as the field approaches the final 90 players. That's because they will be able to push around the smaller stacks, who will understandably be concerned with busting.

That said, playing every hand in the early stages just to try and build up a monster stack quickly probably isn't going to be a winning strategy unless you catch a heater. Play aggressively loose within reason.